February 11, 2004

I really love she. Nicholas Fonseca at Entertainment Weekly is opining about all eight of the contestants on last night's American Idol. (Here's the link, but it probably won't work if you're not a paid subscriber. Yeah, I subscribe to Entertainment Weekly!) Here's what he has to say about Jennifer Hudson, my sentimental favorite (even though I think Fantasia Barrino gave the best performance last night):

I worry that Jen might get lost in the mix, which is a shame because I've had my eye on her since the very first episodes, when they kept showing a glimpse of she and her teammates practicing choreography in their hotel room and she later asked Simon why he didn't like her spacesuit, er, outfit. Love, love, loved her performance of ''Imagine'' last night, and love, love, love that she reminds me of Angie Stone. That is NEVER a bad thing, Jennifer -- and just between us, I voted for you last night.

Jennifer Hudson tries to belt out "Imagine," which is certainly interesting and creative, but ends up illustrating that certain songs are meant to be sung in a certain way. Oh, and apparently she tends toward crying a lot.

He's right that there was some failure of judgment singing "Imagine" like that. Maybe she's too emotional to hold up to all the pressure, but I think emotion is a good thing in a singer. Good luck!